Molecular and Serological Findings in Sheep During Two Outbreaks in Sicily (Southern Italy).

Q fever is a widespread zoonotic disease caused by the obligate intracellular bacterium , primarily transmitted through the inhalation of contaminated aerosols. This study aimed to detect in two Sicilian sheep flocks, with no better defined reproductive disorders reported by the farmers. Blood, individual and bulk milk, ticks, and conjunctival swabs were collected from both flocks (A and B).

Rebalancing Viral and Immune Damage versus Tissue Repair Prevents Death from Lethal Influenza Infection.

Maintaining tissue function while eliminating infected cells is fundamental to host defense. Innate inflammatory damage contributes to lethal influenza and COVID-19, yet other than steroids, immunomodulatory drugs have modest effects. Among more than 50 immunomodulatory regimes tested in mouse lethal influenza infection, only the previously reported early depletion of neutrophils showed efficacy, suggesting that the infected host passes an early tipping point in which limiting innate immune damage alone cannot rescue physiological function.

Distribution of trace metals and metalloids in tissues of Eurasian Woodcock (Scolopax rusticola) from Southern Italy.

Heavy metals and metalloids in the environment are recognised as a threat to the health of organism. Terrestrial birds are ideal subjects for the examination of these pollutants because of their high mobility and high intra- and interspecific variation in trophic levels. We examined the contents of 6 trace metals (Cd, Pb, Cr, Sb and V) and metalloids (As) in the liver, kidney, muscle, and feathers of woodcocks (Scolopax rusticola) from Southern Italy by a validated ICP-MS method.

Carrying Enterobacterales Harboring Antibiotic Resistance Genes.

The Eurasian woodcock () belongs to those bird species that make systematic migratory flights in spring and autumn in search of favorable breeding and wintering areas. These specimens arrive in the Mediterranean Area from northeastern European countries during the autumn season. The purpose of this study was to assess whether woodcocks can carry antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) along their migratory routes.